Electrically-heated implement.



E. '0. VAN GLAHN. BLBGTRIGALLY HEATBD IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 001223; 1913.

PatentedMay 12,1914.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE. V

EDWARD' c. vAN GLAHN, orA NEW YORK,- jN. Y., AssIcNoR To NATIONAL ELECTRIC UTILITIES eoRPoRaTIoN, or NEW YoRIgN. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

nLEcTnIcALLY-HEATED IiiiELEiiiENT.v

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914..

Applica/cimmed october 23; 191s. l serial No'. 736,750.

To all whom it may concern Be if known una I, EDWARD C.- via GLAN, a citizen 'of the United States, re'- sidin at the city of NewYork, in the county and tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrically- Heated Implements, of which' the following is a specification. v

This invention relates ed implements, such as soldering irons, Hat irons, stove plates and the like, and it coniprises a section of such implements to be heated and a heating element located inside such section whereby most o the :heat is conducted to the heating section and very little of it is Wasted.

In heretofore known electrically heated implements the heating element usually consists of insulated Wire Wound about'the outside of a core, sometimes iii the -shape of. a spool or the like, andthe heat is transmitted from' the element inwardly 'to the core and from it to the heating section of the implement. Each successive layer of Wire must be insulated from the other, with thev result that while the first Winding or layer heats the core to some degree, the second Winding merely assists in heating the first layer. The heat from the third layer is transmitted inwardly through the second andthe first layers, and so on, so that the several outside layers are doing a little more than heating the outside ofthe main container for the core. In this tway, about seventy-ive per cent. of the heat is wasted, while only twenty-five per cent. is actually used. VSeine attempts have been made to remedy this by the use of zigzag heating Wires arranged atly in contact with the heating section, but the degree to' whichl such elements can be heated is limited by' the amount of wire used, so that such devices Vare not successful for instruments.

may present resistance toany desired de-V gree.

to electrically heatl' i Other objects of the inventionwill hereinafter appear.

I accomplish these objects by primarily arranging the heating sections of the implements for containing a special form oi heatlng device.A If carbon, or a composition of carbon, or graphite, or a composition of graphite, c an be maintained out of contact with the air, itmakes a very successful heatlng element, and such elements can be manufactured in innumerable shapes and of any size and for any resistance,- re'gardless of the vshape or size. Such uninsulate'd units are nowtobc foundupon the market.

Y In a specificembodiment of my invention, I provide a hollow shell-like heating section having considerable radiating surface for an implement, such, for instance, as a soldering iro-n'. Intothe section there is placed the heating unitor resistance element, preferablyof thesame shape as the cored-out portion oi the section, so that it Amay contact with the walls thereof, suitable electric insulation, such as mica or the like,

Ibeing provided. This unit is coated with therefore, is conducted from the unit outwardly to the containing section and thence to the tip or point 0I' appli'catior'i. This would not be possible if the unit were of coiled wire or similar shape because such' unit would then be so smallythat the desired resistance could not be obtained. Such IWire would have to be wrapped around the outside of a spool and the heat, would be conducted .from a small shank to the tip, as is Well known.

If the invention is embodied in a soldering iron the heating section may be relatively small as compared with the body of the iron -and may be located directly at the tip. It

may have` an integral part lin lthe form of ascrew, to which the tip itselfis attached, and it may b'e insulated from the handle by any suitable means.

The inea-ns I employ in the embodimentof the invention hereinafter described are' .particularly advantageous, as they combine electrical and heat insulation in a novel and advantageous manner. employ asbestos cupshaped disks located in the casing with their peripheral edges contacting, so that there is formed not only a solid block of heat insulation and electrical insulation material around the inner-walls of the casing between the heating section and the handle, but also air insulation because of the space confined by means ofthe inverted dished disks. lf the invention is embodied in a branding iron, for instance, the heating section is the surface. lt is cored, if it is'cast, or otherwise constructed so that the heating unit in any form may be directly placed therein and made to contact with the walls through suitable electric insulation. The openings should all be suitably sealed by means of any known air-tight material.

ln the accompanying drawings showing forms of a specific embodiment of my invention and in the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding-parts, Figure 1 isa longitudinal section through a soldering iron embodying the invention, parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the heating unit on an enlarged scale;l Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section along line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section through a branding iron and illustrates diagrammatically the use of the invention in such a tool.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a casing for containing the heating unit o1 heating section.` lt has the threaded end 2 for the engagement of the handle ,tube 3, such handle tube being provided with the threaded extremity 4 and the shoulder V5 adapted to abut against the end` of the casing. A hollow handle 6 of any desired form in provided with the threaded ferrule 7 for engagement with the threaded end 8 of .the tu e.

The heating section 9 is preferably of brass or similar metal and comprises a shell having the relatively thick bottom 10 and the screw-threaded extremity 11 for engagement with the soldering tip l2. In use the heat is transmitted through the relatively thick bottom and the threaded extremity to the soldering tip. The heating element, which with vthis shell constitutes a heating unit, comprises preferably a tubular block of carbon or carbon composition or graphite or graphite composition 13 which is covered with preferably a fused-on vitreous coatin of yinsulating material 14 made, if desired, in accordance with the process disclosed in application of Mcrrit H. Rice, Serial Number 709,784, filed April 8th, 1913. This coating, however, may be of any desired material and may be applied in any manner, it being essential only that it preserve the material of theelement out of contact with the air to prevent disintegration. The heating element is provided with the connections 15 at one end and 16 at the other, which are preferably sealed in position by means of. the insulating material. Conducting rod 17 is brazed to the connection 15 and connecting rod 18 is brazed to the connection 16 so that a circuit through the element is possible. These conducting elements are covered with any form of suitable insulation 19, such as mica, electrobestos or the like. ln preparation of this heating element, the connections 15 and 16 with their rods are placed in position and the coating 14 is fused on. e

The heating element is assembled in the casing of the heating unit and thus transmits its heat through the walls of the latter to the soldering tip. llt is placed in the heating section ,with one end toward the'relatively thick bottom 10 of the shell, a piece of mica 2O being provided for insulation purposes. Mica is a conductor of heat but is an insulation against electricity. Asbestos block 21 having holes for the passage of the rods 17 and 18'and disk-shaped asbestos blocks 22 afford .suitable insulation against the heat. These are retainedin pesition by means of the threaded washer 23, which may be adjusted in the threaded end of the casing by application of a key-wrench to the keyed hole 24. The asbestos washers 22 are of peculiar construction. They are dished on the. contacting sides so that when assembled they not only present a solid block of heat insulation through their contacting peripheries, but also form a confined space for air, which is the best insulation against heat. ln order to insulate the heating unit from the walls of the containing casing 1 suitable asbestos or other heat insulating material 25 of .any desired shape, such, for instance, as in the shape of cords and sheets, is provided. The connecting rods are provided with suitable terminals 26 for engagement of the ends of wires 27. These wires pass through the handle 6 and are connected to an outside source of electricity.

Fig. 4 illustrates another use of the invention: The heating elements 13 are somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but are longer and of less diameter. The branding iron here shown is provided with Va heating section 30 and the preferably integral branding surfaces 31. The heating section is cored if cast, or otherwise provided with holes for the reception of the elements 13. Several of the elements are shown in the heating section of the iron and they may be connected in multiple or series through the bus-bars 32 having suitable terminals 33. A

The invention is not limited to use in connection with any specific implement except' as hereinafter claimed, but embodies the particular heatin element and heating section described. believe. myself to be the first to provide practical and eicient heating element contained inside a conducting shell so that the heat is transmitted to the point of application without considerable Waste. As stated, this is possible because the heat from the element is confined and is conducted, for instance in a soldering Iron, directly from the confining walls of the container to the base which contacts with the tip.

What I claim is 1. In an electric heating implement, a hollow heating section, a heating surface in contact with a portion of such section, a solid heating 'element having an insulating coating and located inside said section, terminals leading from said element, a casing surrounding said section, anda handle attached to said casing.

2. In an electric soldering iron, a hollow heating section, a soldering tip in direct contact with a portion ofsuch section, a solid heating element located inside said section and havin an insulating coating, termina-ls leading rom said element, a casing surrounding said section, and a handle attached to said casing.

3. In an electric heating implement, a hollow heating section, a heating surface in contact with a portion of said section, a solid heating element located inside said section and insulated therefrom, terminals leading from said element, heat insulation means surrounding said section, a casing inclosing said section and heat insulating means, whereby heat is confined in said section and. directed toward said heating surface, and a handle attached to said casing.

4. In an electric heating implement, a hollow heating section, a portion to be heated attached to one end o said casing and heat insulation materialv located between said handle 'and said 'unit said lheat insulation material comprising blocks of material having cont-acting peripheries and spaced away centers to present air insulation between said unit and said handle.

6. In a soldering iron, a casing, a heating unit therein, a tip attached to said unit, conductors leading from said unit to. an outside sourceof electricity, a handle attachedto oneend of said casing and insulation material located between said unit and said handle, and means in said casing for maintaining said insulation material in contact with said unit and spaced away from said handle. i

7. In a soldering iron, a casing having a threaded end for the yengagement of a handle, and a heating unit provided with means for engagement of a soldering tip, the handle end of said casing provided with means for locating insulation thereof, and insulation in said casing between said unit and said handle end.4

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand October, 1913, inthe presencev of subscribing Witnesses.

EDWARD C. VAN GLAHN.

Witnesses.:

HERMAN GUsTow, Amann M. HoUGH'roN. 

